Last week, Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey took to social media to share encouraging words about the Coronavirus. One of the key takeaways from his video was his parting words, \u201cEvery red light turns green.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few days ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that, after assessing the increasing infections of COVID-19 patients after suggesting self-isolation and social distancing, South Africa was going to enter a full lockdown as of midnight, Thursday, 26 March 2020. Our amber period is officially red.
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But we will see the light turn green again.
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As most of us prepare to spend the next 21 days in our homes, we would be amiss if we didn’t take a moment to think about the farmers, sanitation workers, truck drivers, grocery store staff, bank tellers and medical professionals putting their health on the line for our nation.
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If you would like to show your support for them, firstly (and most importantly), take the lockdown seriously and limit your exposure places outside your home. Secondly, there are a few ways you can also donate to various foundations fighting the COVID-19 spread:
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A donation can be made to purchase a bag of fresh food produce<\/strong> for families in communities whose children normally rely on school feeding schemes for meal support. Over this time of need, you will be providing fresh food while additionally supporting your local smallscale farms. Launched on 16 March 2020, this platform is looking for cash donations to purchase non-perishable foods, hand sanitisers, masks, and immune-boosting products <\/strong>to give to old-age homes, orphanages and soup kitchens in impoverished areas. Africa\u2019s largest disaster response NPO is desperately seeking cash donations for medical supplies, <\/strong>like manual and automated ventilation equipment, intubation equipment, and safety equipment for medical staff. On Monday, 23 March 2020, when President Ramaphosa announced the national lockdown, he also shared that a solidarity fund <\/strong>had been set up to offer support<\/strong> to medical professionals and vulnerable institutions <\/strong>across the country. The idea is to implement the following services: PREVENT, DETECT, CARE SUPPORT, for people and institutions who need it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spending three weeks at home is enough to induce cabin fever in even the most experienced hermit. Here are a few entertainment options for you and the family to partake in: If you\u2019ve been on Instagram, you\u2019ll have seen the likes of John Legend, Chris Martin of Coldplay, and Hozier performing free concerts on the social media platform. Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor, dancer, singer, and choreographer Debbie Allen hosted a free master class in dancing a few weeks ago too. Follow the hashtag and you\u2019ll be able to tune into some of these starlit performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep your children stimulated by tasking them to read a chapter or a few pages from the same book. Then aside half an hour every day to discuss what the little ones have read. We\u2019ve put together a downloadable schedule<\/span><\/a> for how to keep the little ones entertained. Download it here<\/span><\/a>, stick it to your fridge, and let the kids follow this amazing hour-by-hour fun and educational schedule for daily stimulation. What about a passion you wanted to pursue but never had the time for it? Well, one thing we can say is that we all have a little more time on our hands, so that\u2019s no longer an excuse. Learn to cook with Yuppiechef<\/span><\/a>, or by binging some of your favourite shows on Netflix, AmazonPlay or DSTV. While we can\u2019t be in public, we can certainly still enjoy the outdoors in any ways we can. If you don\u2019t have a garden, spread a blanket across your balcony. If you don\u2019t have a balcony, your living room floor will do too. Each member of the family can be put in charge of one element, whether it\u2019s brewing the ice tea, making the finger sandwiches or cutting up the cucumbers and carrots to accompany the hummus. Not everyone has board games. Thankfully, I-spy and charades will do. Head\u2019s Up is a fantastic game you can download on GooglePlay<\/span><\/a> or iOS<\/a><\/span> too. Another hashtag to follow is #museumfromhome<\/a><\/span>. Museums around the world are creating virtual tours of some of the most coveted museums, galleries and other cultural spaces. The Metropolitan Opera (The Met) has launched a \u201cNightly Met Opera Steam\u201d series, which features live Opera performances. Each night the performance will begin at 7.30pm (Eastern Daylight Time), you can either watch it live, or for 23 hours after streaming\/upload via the website URL. Something a little different, there are a number of different wildlife institutions around the world who have decided to give people an inside view of where these creatures get up to. Some fascinating, some serene and some quite special, you can view jellyfish<\/a>, penguins<\/a>, elephants<\/a><\/span>, and eagles<\/a>.<\/span> Remarkable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a few extra bucks to spend (and let’s face it one thing we can say about a lock-in is there will be money saved), Nona has cut her live-streaming pasta classes by 50%. This 84-year-old granny is operating out of her kitchen in Italy, making a new pasta-piece every day from scratch. Sign up for her daily classes here<\/span><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping your body strong over this time is important too. Immunity can be achieved through a healthy diet as well as a fit body. Gyms and other fitness facilities are closed, but you have a few at-home options to consider. Strengthen your body and relax your mind. Free guided yoga classes will work to ensure you get a full workout while in the safety of your home. DoYogaWithMe is currently giving two months free to anyone who signs up now, with the offer of a donation should you wish to contribute. The change in routine will affect us all in different ways. Gym bunnies will, no doubt, begin to miss their regular gyming routine within a few days. Thankfully Self<\/a><\/span> has a number of High-Intensity-Interval-Training (HIIT) exercises to make sure your muscle doesn\u2019t turn into mush during lockdown. If you\u2019re looking for a fitness regime that is a little more catered to your calorie-burning goals, time constraints, limited equipment, etc. Fitnessblender<\/a><\/span> has a checklist where you can check a list of different boxes in accordance to your own personal goals, and a personalised routine will be created for you to help you achieve them.
Donate here<\/span><\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCORONACARE FOR SOUTH AFRICA<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Donate here<\/span><\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nGIFT OF GIVERS<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Donate here<\/span><\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCOVID-19 Solidarity Fund<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Donate here<\/span><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nENTERTAINMENT AT HOME: <\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n#TogetherAtHome<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
SUCO SESSIONS<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
SUCO Sessions is a team of individuals who give guided sessions in a combination of yoga, meditation and dance, and who normally operate from different locations in Barcelona, are now coming to you, seeing as you can’t come to them. They will be hosting live Instagram sessions that go a little deeper into the idea of active meditation through mindfulness, breathing, stretching, dancing, playing and choosing JOY, giving anyone the opportunity to delve into a truly enriching practice. Visit their Instagram page<\/span><\/a> to see when their next live session is taking place, and if you’re not entirely sure what active meditation is – then this is the finest moment for you to find out. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBOOK CLUB<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nFAITHFUL TO NATURE <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCOOKING SCHOOL <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nGARDEN PICNIC<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nINTERACTIVE GAMES<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCULTURAL VIEWING<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nNIGHT AT THE OPERA<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nLIVE WEBCAM FEEDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
LIVE WITH NONA<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
EXERCISE AT HOME: <\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nDO<\/a><\/span><\/strong>YOGAWITHME<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHIIT AT HOME<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPERSONALISED TRAINING<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMEDITATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n